State tells Bobb to implement 'draconian' plan to close half of Detroit schools, raise class sizes

Robert Bobb has been given the go-ahead to implement a plan that even he says will essentially destroy the Detroit Public School system.

Under the plan to balance the district's books, DPS would close half of its schools, consolidate its operations and grow it class sizes in its high schools to 60 students.

Even Bobb, who's called the plan "draconian," concedes it won't work.

Feb. 21, Detroit News: In the letter, Flanagan said the Michigan Department of Education gave preliminary approval to Bobb's plan to bring the 74,000-student district out of its financial emergency. As a condition of approval, Flanagan said Bobb cannot declare the district in bankruptcy during the remainder of his contract.

Bobb, appointed emergency financial manager in March 2009, filed his deficit elimination plan with the state in January, saying it would wipe out the district's $327 million deficit by 2014. On Feb. 9, he told state lawmakers the plan is the only way DPS "can cut its way out" of its legacy deficit.

At the same time, Bobb said he doesn't believe the proposal is viable because it would drive more students away, exacerbating the district's financial emergency. But on Friday, Bobb confirmed he is working to implement the plan that will shrink the district to 72 schools for a projected 58,570 students in 2014.

Few parents, if any, will abide a plan that crams 60 children into a classroom. Almost every educator in America will tell you that even 30 students in a classroom is too many. You think children in DPS aren't learning now? Under Bobb's plan, they wouldn't even have a chance.

To be sure, this plan won't fly. It simply can't. Parents will leave the district instead. So why is Bobb moving ahead with it? Well, surely it could be construed as one last plaintive cry for an 11th-hour infusion of cash. But more likely, it's about dismantling the Detroit Public Schools. This isn't about eliminating a deficit. This is about eliminating public education in the city of Detroit as we know it.

This is tantamount to replacing the current DPS with a smoldering crater.

Certainly, there's no defending the performance of the current district, which has abysmally failed far too many of our children. And surely, there's nothing wrong with bringing more charters like the Nataki Talibah Schoolhouse into the mix. But I'm not sure if giving up on the district is the answer either.

Charter schools flourish largely because they are smaller alternatives, with fewer students in each class and more manageable overall student populations. Services can be more evenly spread among the kids. What happens when those schools start bulging from the influx of new students? What proof is there that they have the capacity to cope with the scale and severity of the issues that DPS students struggle with?